3 AM and my bathroom sink started making this hollow gurgling sound

I live in a duplex in Portland, and last night around 3am I was up reading some dumb clickbait when the bathroom sink just started gurgling like it was choking. Not a drip, not a clog, but this deep hollow noise that went on for maybe 10 seconds. I froze, checked the pipes underneath (nothing wet), then flushed the toilet to see if it was related - sink stayed quiet. No idea what caused it, but I'm half-convinced my upstairs neighbor flushed something weird. Has anyone else heard random plumbing noises at night that totally messed with your head?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_max27d ago

idk, I think "air trapped in the pipes" usually makes a hiss, not a deep hollow gurgle like that.

ryantorres27d ago

Portland's got some old weird plumbing in those duplexes, I'll give you that, but hollow gurgling at 3am is usually just air trapped in the pipes from someone running water upstairs. My place does the same thing when my neighbor takes a shower late, nothing spooky just a venting issue. You're fine, it's just old house noises messing with your head.

susan64927d ago

I mean, I get where you're coming from with the venting thing, but "hollow gurgling at 3am" sounds different from the usual pipe noise my place makes too. Idk, maybe it's just me, but the timing is what gets me - 3am is specific, not just some random late shower from upstairs. Plus, if it's happening on the regular and it's not tied to anyone actually using water, that's a red flag to me. I lived in an old duplex in Portland for years, and the air in the pipes sounds more like a hiccup or a gurgle, not hollow. Hollow feels deeper, like it's coming from a cavity somewhere, not just the vent stack. You might be right that it's nothing, but I wouldn't write it off so fast.